Review by Trevor Connell
With bugger all budget compared to what the Olympic Ceremonies had, this team had to rely on imagination, and the help of thousands of schoolkids.
They also had to contend with rain. Rain that disrupted rehearsals and which poured down as the patrons made their way into the stadium on the night. But then as the show got underway the rain cleared and only returned with showers toward the end of the celebration.
A Ceremony in three acts
Dividing the ceremony into three distinct segments worked well.
Following the national anthem sung by Jeff St John, the show launched into…
Act One – the rock opera “The Fire Within”
Bryan Brown narrated the story and from the opening anthem “The Challenge” penned by David Mason-Cox and sung by Jeff St John, through the link of Melissa Ippolito, (a singer who had open-heart surgery at seven and turned 15 on Tuesday) who played a girl seeking certain answers, through to the call to the athletes to enter the stadium via “Reach Out” sung by Graeme Connors, this segment flowed well.
And the appearance of the only international performer, Professor Stephen Hawking, who offered an answer via video: "In our hearts, in our minds, in our spirit. The fire is within" was inspired and inspiring.
Act Two – the arrival of the athletes
Then, following this relatively brief build-up, the athletes were given their rightful place as the centre of attention by being brought onto the arena.
The various bands that accompanied the parade of athletes reflected not only the diversity of the nations competing, but also the diversity of our multi-cultural society, as these bands are all Australian based.
Act Three – Party Time
Then the party section – a great line-up of Australian talent and the wonderful imagery of the inflated creatures as they made their way around the stadium.
My only criticism was that as a television event, the last section went on for too long. Too many singers, too many songs. I’ll be interested in the feedback from people who were in the stadium as to how they perceived it.
A few observations
Eamon d’Arcy’s designs were fabulous. I particularly liked his use of the inflatables and the wonderful concept of repainting the 302 sections of the pixilated stage in the middle of the arena. The design work was then complemented beautifully by the lighting design of John Rayment. And the projected imagery by The Electric Canvas on the huge screen behind the stage was a treat.
Two other standout concepts – the country names on the balloons, which were then strung up over the arena and the rather low key but innovative fireworks display that closed the ceremony.
On TV the commencement was a bit strange – was that another F1-11 that briefly flashed on screen at the end of the national anthem?
So now, ABC Marketing can we please have a video of the Ceremony – sans commentary.
Why is it that television producers in this country have no idea of how to present Special Events?
Further reading …
The Sydney Morning Herald Paralympic site
Ceremonies Production Credits |
